Not Giving up, Just Giving In...
Recently I was informed that I put too much emphasis on the numbers in my training.,
So here goes my new form of training log - a log without numbers, minutes or times!
DST actually took my watch away this week… So this next training block will just be some free flow biking,
without paying attention to the time. After a good chat, it seems Canmore AB is a good starting place and a
solution to some of the frustration and restlessness I’ve been feeling- go to the mountains, crash on my sister's couch. Rest,
eat, sleep and get healthy finally.
I remember my first real workout with the Guelph team. It was at training camp-and was one that I don’t think
I’ll ever forget. It was a mixed zone workout, and in the tempo repeat, DST, who had been following us in the truck-
pulled in front of us and stopped us. He said something along the lines of, "girls, this is just not fast or good enough. Go faster".
Everyone responded and all I remember thinking was, 'oh… this is going to be a long year'… and it was….but I
also knew that was exactly where I was supposed to be.
I was the luckiest rookie ever, thrust into this team of tight knit girls, and they welcomed me. It was a new sort
of atmosphere here that I didn’t really know existed. Everybody works so hard, all
of the time. Everybody loves what they do, and gives everything they’ve got. It’s an exhilarating atmosphere,
and I am so proud to be apart of it. The energy is insane, and I think you have to be a certain type of athlete to go to
Guelph or Speed River. You don’t have to be that fast- you just have to be willing. You have to be driven, and most of all you
have to want to be there more than anything.
I’ve had kind of a shitty year. I can’t complain too much, because prior to this year I’ve been very lucky and haven’t really had any sort of injury that kept
me away for more than two weeks.
But In the space of 10 months, I’ve pretty much mentally drained myself. I’ve had every injury from two stress reactions (in both third metarsal in my left
foot and cuboid in my right), a low bone density, infected blisters that would not give, low iron and now tendonitis in my shins. I felt like every time I
manage to get going again, something would just pop up and say, ‘no Madeline, you aren’t going to run this year’.
And yet- everything passes. I felt like I was constantly waiting, trying to make It through…. Instead of actually being grateful for what I did have and
trying
to stay positive. Lets just say I did not handle being injured very maturely. I felt as though I had lost this big part of me, and It just showed how
unbalanced my life really was.
Roughly 65 physio, massage and doctor appointments later, too many pool runs and bikes to count……. I think
we’ve hopefully gotten to the bottom of my biomechanics.
My bone density is on the rise, both my feet are all healed up and sorted out for the most part. I’ve got a
stellar new pair of orthotics to keep my feet in the right position- its just over the past few months my shin tendons couldn’t take this new
load of training in such a different position. I ran through the pain for just over a month, in the hope that
they would adjust
and adapt, but the pain became unmanageable. I’ve got all the time in the world, just because I may not be back
on track yet, but I’ve got years to come, and I plan on being healthy and happy for many other racing seasons!
I spent a few years eating a little too little… it took a while to catch up with me, almost a year and a half, and
when it did, it hit hard. My bones were just too weak to carry on the magnitude of training I wanted to do.
Another thing I’ve learned about myself over the last few years… I’m kind of good at ignoring the things I don’t
want to hear!
I had so many friends and family come to me and try to help me, or tell me I was too thin, and I just chose not
to listen. Why did it matter if I was healthy and running fast then?
In the summer of 2012, just when I came to Guelph, I was weighing myself a lot, putting a ton of pressure on
myself, and I was less than 100 pounds at that point. I competed at junior nationals, to a 5th place. A year later, I was 15
pounds heavier, won the race and I ran my 3k almost 35 seconds faster. Now my theory is a bit different- I think that the
healthier you are, the better and more consistent training you will be able to get in. if there’s one thing I’ve learned from this
year- its that id
rather be 100% healthy and 80% fit, then 100% fit, and 80% healthy… so time to take a breath of fresh
mountain air,
recognize and learn from my mistakes and most importantly move on!
So here goes my new form of training log - a log without numbers, minutes or times!
DST actually took my watch away this week… So this next training block will just be some free flow biking,
without paying attention to the time. After a good chat, it seems Canmore AB is a good starting place and a
solution to some of the frustration and restlessness I’ve been feeling- go to the mountains, crash on my sister's couch. Rest,
eat, sleep and get healthy finally.
I remember my first real workout with the Guelph team. It was at training camp-and was one that I don’t think
I’ll ever forget. It was a mixed zone workout, and in the tempo repeat, DST, who had been following us in the truck-
pulled in front of us and stopped us. He said something along the lines of, "girls, this is just not fast or good enough. Go faster".
Everyone responded and all I remember thinking was, 'oh… this is going to be a long year'… and it was….but I
also knew that was exactly where I was supposed to be.
I was the luckiest rookie ever, thrust into this team of tight knit girls, and they welcomed me. It was a new sort
of atmosphere here that I didn’t really know existed. Everybody works so hard, all
of the time. Everybody loves what they do, and gives everything they’ve got. It’s an exhilarating atmosphere,
and I am so proud to be apart of it. The energy is insane, and I think you have to be a certain type of athlete to go to
Guelph or Speed River. You don’t have to be that fast- you just have to be willing. You have to be driven, and most of all you
have to want to be there more than anything.
I’ve had kind of a shitty year. I can’t complain too much, because prior to this year I’ve been very lucky and haven’t really had any sort of injury that kept
me away for more than two weeks.
But In the space of 10 months, I’ve pretty much mentally drained myself. I’ve had every injury from two stress reactions (in both third metarsal in my left
foot and cuboid in my right), a low bone density, infected blisters that would not give, low iron and now tendonitis in my shins. I felt like every time I
manage to get going again, something would just pop up and say, ‘no Madeline, you aren’t going to run this year’.
And yet- everything passes. I felt like I was constantly waiting, trying to make It through…. Instead of actually being grateful for what I did have and
trying
to stay positive. Lets just say I did not handle being injured very maturely. I felt as though I had lost this big part of me, and It just showed how
unbalanced my life really was.
Roughly 65 physio, massage and doctor appointments later, too many pool runs and bikes to count……. I think
we’ve hopefully gotten to the bottom of my biomechanics.
My bone density is on the rise, both my feet are all healed up and sorted out for the most part. I’ve got a
stellar new pair of orthotics to keep my feet in the right position- its just over the past few months my shin tendons couldn’t take this new
load of training in such a different position. I ran through the pain for just over a month, in the hope that
they would adjust
and adapt, but the pain became unmanageable. I’ve got all the time in the world, just because I may not be back
on track yet, but I’ve got years to come, and I plan on being healthy and happy for many other racing seasons!
I spent a few years eating a little too little… it took a while to catch up with me, almost a year and a half, and
when it did, it hit hard. My bones were just too weak to carry on the magnitude of training I wanted to do.
Another thing I’ve learned about myself over the last few years… I’m kind of good at ignoring the things I don’t
want to hear!
I had so many friends and family come to me and try to help me, or tell me I was too thin, and I just chose not
to listen. Why did it matter if I was healthy and running fast then?
In the summer of 2012, just when I came to Guelph, I was weighing myself a lot, putting a ton of pressure on
myself, and I was less than 100 pounds at that point. I competed at junior nationals, to a 5th place. A year later, I was 15
pounds heavier, won the race and I ran my 3k almost 35 seconds faster. Now my theory is a bit different- I think that the
healthier you are, the better and more consistent training you will be able to get in. if there’s one thing I’ve learned from this
year- its that id
rather be 100% healthy and 80% fit, then 100% fit, and 80% healthy… so time to take a breath of fresh
mountain air,
recognize and learn from my mistakes and most importantly move on!